JBL unveils sound system for the brand new Peugeot 208 at the Geneva Motor Show

JBL develops premium sound system for all new Peugeot 208 bringing a faithful sound experience to this vehicle class

PRLog - March 6, 2012 - Geneva Motor Show - HARMAN (NYSE:HAR), the premium global audio and infotainment group, continues its longstanding partnership with the PSA Group to present a first class sound experience for the world premiere of the Peugeot 208 featuring HARMAN’s JBL-branded premium audio. Peugeot’s brand new car relies on the experience of HARMAN, and the reputation for high quality sound systems from its JBL brand. Based on the success of the JBL-equipped premium class sedan, the Peugeot 508, HARMAN audio engineers transferred the rich JBL signature sound to the B-Segment car. The result is a faithful sound experience that sets highest standards in this vehicle class.

“This is another successful world premiere of Peugeot and we are very pleased to be a part of it. The new 208 shows that excellent sound has become a mark of quality, even in the B-Segment market. Peugeot and JBL are the perfect team to fulfill this demand,” says Dinesh C. Paliwal, Chairman, President and CEO of HARMAN.

Nine high-performance JBL speakers are precisely positioned for maximum sound quality. The five-door hatchback version offers a 165 mm mid-range speaker with high-tech diaphragms made from a polypropylene composite material with powerful Neodymium magnets at each of the four doors. Additionally, in the front doors are two 25 mm tweeters, while in the rear doors two passive 25 mm tweeters are integrated, ensuring pristine reproduction of critical tones. The paneling in the luggage compartment conceals another innovation from JBL: the 10-channel amplifier with an output of 50 watts per channel is integrated in a space-saving compact housing in the rear of the Peugeot 208 together with the subwoofer. The HARMAN 170 mm sound transducer is powered by a double-coil using 2 amplifier channels to ensure rich base tones at all times.

Through the use of AuraVox®, an equalization-software developed by HARMAN, all nine loudspeakers are precisely coordinated before being fine-tuned by HARMAN’s acoustic experts to deliver an auditory experience that’s unique in this vehicle class. The JBL sound system has also been optimized for two different modes: drivers can choose to focus the sound experience at them while alone in the car, or balance it equally for enjoyment from all seats.

Throughout the vehicle design stages, the experts from Peugeot and HARMAN worked together in close cooperation to match the vehicle architecture and sound system perfectly with the interior of the new star of it´s class. Using the latest technology and deep experience from their own home entertainment and professional line of JBL products, the HARMAN sound specialists set down the design of each specially designed audio component and finally managed it to integrate the system within the Peugeot 208.